it’s due to physics.
Any non-volatile memory must store its bits in two states which have a
large energy barrier between them, or else the smallest influence would
change the bit. But when writing to that memory, we must actively
overcome that energy barrier.
Designer have quite some freedom in setting those energy barriers. Set it low 0 . 1,
and you get memory which can be rewritten a lot without generating a
lot of heat: fast and volatile. Set the energy barrier high 0 | 1 and the bits will stay put almost forever, or until you expend serious energy.
DRAM uses small capacitors which leak. Bigger capacitors would leak less, be less volatile, but take longer to charge.
Flash uses electrons which are shot at high voltage into an isolator.
The energy barrier is so high that you can’t get them out in a
controlled way; the only way is to clean out an entire block of bits.
In other words, the only way to make the RAM as high speed as we need
it for modern computer operations is to keep the resistance between
state changes extremely low (and thus make the RAM volatile and
susceptible to data erasure in the face of power loss).
Common desktop (DDR3) RAM is cheap, but not quite that cheap. Especially if you want to buy relatively large DIMMs.
RAM loses its contents when powered off. Thus you would need to
reload the content at boot time. Say you use a SSD sized RAMDISK of
100GB, that means about two minutes delay while 100GB are copied from
the disk.
RAM uses more power (say 2–3 Watt per DIMM, about the same as an idle SSD).
To use so much RAM, your motherboard will need a lot of DIMM sockets
and the traces to them. Usually this is limited to six or less. (More
board space means more costs, thus higher prices.)
Lastly, you will also need RAM to run your programs in, so you will
need the normal RAM size to work in (e.g. 18GiB, and enough to store the
data you expect to use).
Having said that: Yes, RAM disks do exist. Even as PCI board with DIMM sockets and as appliances for very high IOps. (Mostly used in corporate databases before SSD’s became an option). These things are not cheap though.
RAM or Random Access Memory,
is your computer’s short term memory. If your computer needs
information and does not find the RAM, it then needs to journey to the hard drive
to try and retrieve the data, which is far more time consuming. Many
older computers that feel sluggish can be given new life if upgraded
with additional RAM.
However, capacity is only one specification. RAM is also available
in a variety of versions and speeds. A 2GB stick of DDR2 800 RAM is not
the same thing as a 2GB stick of DDR3 1333 RAM. Understanding the
difference is important because computers will generally accept only
certain types of RAM.
IP Address
is a small tiny native Windows 8 app that monitors the IP addresses of
your Windows 8 computer and lets you easily keep track of them through
the live tile right on the Start Screen, or even thelock screen badge.
The live tile of the app will also automatically update to reflect
your local and NAT external IP address and total number of network
connections. If you pin the app to the side, you can have an IP
monitoring app running side by side with any other apps.
IP Address is a Free native Windows 8 app that you can download directly from Windows 8App Store. It’s a little useful live tile app, especially for Windows RT tablets.
Category: Tools
Download Size: 36.0KB
Publisher: Jujuba Software
IF you love Linux
and want to be sure that all of your hardware will be supported, the
best thing to do is go out and buy a system which was designed
specifically for Linux use!
About System76
System76 is a computer company
which specializes in the assembly of machines which are guaranteed to
work under Linux. They do so by picking out hardware which they know is
fully supported by Linux distributions, and then assembling them for us
so that we don’t have to do it ourselves. While desktops and servers
usually don’t pose much of an issue as far as Linux support is concerned
(although System76 does offer multiple models of both), the main
benefit of going with System76 is that they can build laptops as well.
Since it’s pretty much impossible to assemble and/or change parts of
your laptop — apart from the hard drive and RAM — it’s very important
that everything included in your laptop will work under Linux. System76
makes sure of this, and sells perfectly compatible laptops for our
enjoyment. The company is based in Colorado, but has multiple locations
where it builds systems, and ships to a number of international
destinations.
System76 isn’t the only provider of machines which are built especially for Linux. Another big name in this depart is ZaReason,
which caters to not only Ubuntu but other distributions, both
Debian-based and not, as well. For some people, Lenovo systems could
also be seen as competitors, as many people claim that their favorite
Linux distribution works very well with Lenovo hardware.
Specifications
Let me start out with the customized specifications which came with this System76 Gazelle Professional laptop I got to review. It includes a Intel 3rd Generation (Ivy Bridge) 2.4 Ghz (upgradeable to 2.8 Ghz) Core i7-3630QM processor, a matte 1080p display with 95% NTSC color gamut, 4 GB of 1600 Mhz DDR3 RAM (upgradable to 16 GB, 2 x 8 GB), 750 GB hard drive (upgradeable to different configurations include SSDs), an SD card reader, a 1.3MP webcam, a CD/DVD-RW DL drive, THX TruStudio PRO speakers, and Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 – 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Combo Module.
Overall, the specs are pretty impressive, especially when compared to
my 3 year old laptop. The final price, without shipping and possible
taxes, was $998.
Packaging
The packaging was fairly simple. Inside a brown carton box in which
the laptop was shipped was another brown carton box which included a
plastic handle and some generic designs on the sides. Inside this box
was the laptop itself, wrapped in a pink anti-static plastic wrap,
covered by two styrofoam “bumpers”. There was a small area next to the
laptop which stored the power supply and cord. That was all which was
included, and as you’ll see in a bit, that’s all that is really needed.
After taking the laptop out of the anti-static bag, I noticed that it
had taped-on plastic sheets, in order to prevent dust and other prints
from collecting on the surfaces it was protecting, which included both
sides of the screen.
Upon opening the laptop, you’ll notice one piece of paper, which
includes some simple support information from System76 as well as two
“Powered by Ubuntu” stickers which you can use if you’d like. Personally
I won’t, simply because I like my laptops to be sticker-free, but some
people will be delighted by the fact that these are included.
Design
Further inspection of the System76 Gazelle Professional laptop shows
that it is very well crafted. It’s in no way a MacBook as it is made out
of very durable plastic instead of an aluminum block, but as soon as
you touch it, you won’t really care. The backside of the screen has a
strong brushed-aluminum look and feel which makes the laptop feel quite
expensive. Also on the backside is System76 lettering which isn’t
printed on but pressed on, but it seems to be holding up with some
moderate rubbing.
Keyboard
The keyboard, simply put, is a dream come true. The buttons are
large, comfortably springy, and generally a joy to type on. The spacing
between the buttons is a fantastic change to the cramped keyboard on my
old laptop, which makes it very easy to hit the button you want. The
covering over the spaces between the keys also helps keep the keyboard
and the empty space underneath each key clean from dust and dirt.
For those who find this to be important, System76 includes an Ubuntu
sticker which covers the traditional Windows key. The only improvements I
could think of is the addition of keyboard lighting for typing in the
dark and that the Ubuntu logo could be printed on the Windows key
instead of using a sticker to cover it, but I’m still extremely happy
the way it is. The area on which your hands rest while typing have a
lighter brushed-aluminum look and feel, which also feels quite nice and
prevents slipping around while typing.
Trackpad
The trackpad feels a little funny to use at first because there are
absolutely no physical borders which can tell your fingers that you’re
on the edge of the trackpad. It is all one continuous surface, but after
playing around with it for a while, you get used to it and it’s quite
enjoyable to use. The physical mouse buttons is comprised of one long
button which you can hit on either side to execute a left-click or
right-click. In Ubuntu’s settings, you can also configure double-tapping
on the trackpad and tapping with two fingers to do a right-click. By
default, the laptop is setup to use two-finger scrolling on the trackpad
both vertically and horizontally, but you can configure this to your
own preferences.
Build Quality
The System76 Gazelle Professional laptop itself is very well built.
Everything feels extremely sturdy, and I don’t feel like it’s going to
break under stress. The laptop is designed with four rubber feet on the
four corners of the laptop, which makes it surprisingly sturdy on the
flat surface. I’ve had a couple laptops in the past where it would
wiggle around while typing on it because it wasn’t entirely flat on a
table. For the most part, the air circulation to cool the laptop is also
well designed. The exhaust air comes out the left side, which I prefer
over an exhaust in the back. Under a moderate workload, the laptop does
get a little warm, but the fan is extremely quiet. It does get a tad bit
louder when the laptop is under a full workload, but it’s still deep
inside my acceptable range. The only gripe I have here is that the left
palmrest does get warmer than the rest of the laptop, but it’s not
something that makes you uncomfortable.
Ports
This system is decently equipped when it comes to peripheral ports.
On the left side, you have your power connector, a VGA port, an Ethernet
port, an HDMI port, 2 blue USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port, and the SD
card reader. The exhaust vent is located underneath the two USB ports
and HDMI port. Unless you’re doing demanding work on your laptop for
very long periods of time, any cables connected to these ports do not
get warm at all. Even then, they’ll get somewhat warm at the most, so
this should not really affect anything.
On the right side, you’ll find the CD/DVD drive (or equivalent
replacement depending on what you choose), a USB 2.0 port, and a
headphone jack and microphone jack. To sure your laptop, you’ll find a
Kensington lock port in the back, on the right side of the battery.
Speakers
The System76 Gazelle Professional comes with THX TruStudio PRO
speakers which are located in the front of the laptop, underneath the
palmrests right around where your wrists will probably be. They’re
decent speakers, but nothing necessarily to tout about. While the
speakers are of decent quality, the location of them is not. As they are
in the front, they are slightly muffled whenever you have the laptop on
your lap instead of a flat surface. Even on a flat surface, the sound
isn’t entirely clear, but it’s good enough. They have an acceptable
volume, but it wouldn’t hurt if they were a bit louder as well. If I
truly had to gripe about something, it would be the speakers, but don’t
get the wrong idea — this is still a minor gripe. The speakers are still
acceptable in my opinion, and if you truly care about the quality of
the music that is playing, you’ll more than likely plug in some
headphones or speakers anyways.
Screen
As far as laptops are concerned, there’s a good chance that you
haven’t seen a screen as good as the one which was ordered with this
system. The Full HD 1080p display is an absolute beauty of high
resolution, and its 95% NTSC color gamut capability allows for some
pretty spectacular colors. The matte screen is also very helpful because
it virtually eliminates any glare that may occur from the sun or room
lighting. Speaking of which, the backlight of this screen is incredible,
ranging from fairly dark (but still very readable in a well-lit room)
to an incredibly bright setting where everything can be seen like never
before. Of course, the brightness level affects battery usage, so you’re
in control when you want a bright screen or a long battery life.
Power
The power of the System76 Gazelle Professional laptop is downright
incredible. Of course, there’s a beefy Core i7 inside this beast, and it
makes itself well known from Day 1. I’ve been used to the 2 Ghz
dual-core AMD processor which was inside my old laptop, but the
difference between it and this new system is like night and day. I can
throw virtually whatever I want at it, and it chugs away without any
issues whatsoever. This system doesn’t have any dedicated graphics, but
instead relies on the Intel HD 4000 graphics found inside the processor.
While some people might cringe at the thought of solely using Intel’s
integrated graphics, I’m actually quite happy with it. The HD 4000
series has beefed up quite a bit compared to the HD 3000 series, running
two 1080p monitors (the laptop’s screen and an HDTV) at the same time
with ease. Despite all of this power, it’s actually quite
energy-efficient, thanks to the processor’s Ivy Bridge architecture and
all of the new technology that goes along with it. The battery included
with this laptop is actually a tad bit smaller than the one in the old
one when comparing Wh, but because the processor is so efficient, the
laptop lasts about 3 times longer than my old one.
Battery
Speaking of which, the battery life is quite acceptable. With my own
usage, I get roughly 3.5 hours of battery life while surfing around the
internet on the lowest brightness setting for the screen. This does mean
that the laptop isn’t meant to be extremely portable (although you’re
good to go if you bring the power cord with you, of course), but for the
amount of power that it has, it does run impressively long on just
battery power.
Linux Distributions
Of course, System76 machines come with Ubuntu preinstalled on them.
Ubuntu was chosen over other distributions because it is among one of
the most popular ones which also has one of the stablest financial
backbones, thanks to Canonical. Complete hardware support is guaranteed
by Ubuntu’s included drivers as well as a System76 package which
includes whatever else may be missing, such as backlight control. You
can always install a different distribution if you wish, although you
won’t be able to make use out of the specialized System76 drivers.
However, these drivers tend to be included in future Linux kernels so
that they will no longer be necessary. Cutting edge distributions like
Fedora should work just fine.
There isn’t an included recovery disc you can run off of in case your
system gets messed up. Instead, there’s a recovery partition you can
boot into to start a full recovery. I welcome this approach to recovery,
because you won’t have to go searching around the house for any discs;
all needed recovery data is right there with your laptop.
Can You Run Windows?
System76 realizes that Ubuntu may not entirely fill the needs of
certain people, such as those who absolutely require Photoshop instead
of GIMP. All System76 machines can run Windows smoothly, as the company
provides drivers for the operating system. They do, however, point out
that they will not give support for people running Windows on their
machines.
Support
It’s very important to make sure that a person can buy a laptop from
any company, and know that they’ll have support they can use if they
come into any difficulties. I called System76 because for whatever
reason I could not play sound through a TV via an HDMI cable, but after a
quick call and following their instructions, I got it working just
fine. I was very impressed with how I didn’t have to wait on hold in
order to receive support. It’s quick, it’s accurate, and they are
friendly people who want you to be happy with your purchase. Their
support deserves a big thumbs up. You can also look up common issues in
their support database, Knowledge76. REXOFCYBER!
IF you love Linux
and want to be sure that all of your hardware will be supported, the
best thing to do is go out and buy a system which was designed
specifically for Linux use!
